Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson refuses three-way debate, drawing criticism over political gatekeeping
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Liberal leader Jess Wilson has declined to join a televised debate with Premier Ben Carroll and One Nation leader Warren Pickering, triggering accusations of elitism and fresh concerns that major parties are sidestepping voters ahead of the state election.
Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson has declined to participate in a three-way leaders’ debate scheduled by the Nine Network for November 5, saying she would prefer not to share the stage with One Nation’s state leader Warren Pickering. Premier Ben Carroll has confirmed he will attend, while Pickering is also set to appear.
Wilson told reporters she is willing to debate Carroll "any day," but she did not respond to the invitation to face Pickering as well. The Liberal Party has insisted it wants a head-to-head contest between the two major parties, while the network says voters deserve to hear from all candidates, including One Nation, which polls suggest could attract up to a quarter of the Victorian electorate.
Former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett, writing in the Herald Sun, said Wilson’s position showed a level of hubris and warned her team against placing too much faith in polling alone. Former federal minister Josh Frydenberg, quoted in a memoir, compared the rise of One Nation with similar anti-establishment movements in the United States and United Kingdom, stressing that major parties need to engage with these voters rather than retreat from them.
The debate dispute has sharpened the political language around the campaign, with both Wilson and Carroll accusing each other of avoiding the forum. Analysts note that One Nation, while unlikely to win many lower-house seats, could hold the balance of power in the upper house, making its inclusion in the debate a strategically important issue for all parties ahead of the election.